Khurana quits LS seat, inches
closer to post of GovernorNew Delhi, December 24Madan Lal Khurana, tipped to become the
Governor of Rajasthan, today resigned his Lok Sabha seat. Khurana, who
represented Delhi Sadar in the Lower House of Parliament, tendered his
resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi in the Parliament House.

Adieu: Madan Lal Khurana
— Tribune Photo

Flights grounded
for nine hours,
trains chug alongNew Delhi, December 24A dense cover of fog again enveloped the
Capital today, reducing visibility to a few metres, and leading to flights being
grounded for around nine hours besides causing delays in the movement of trains.

A denizen of Delhi finds a corner to warm himself even as temperature dipped in the Capital on Wednesday.
— Photo by Kamal Singh

Flashback ’03No respite from chronic problems even
as Delhiites
vote for continuityNew Delhi, December 24For the sprawling National Capital
Territory (NCT) of Delhi, 2003 was no different from the previous year. The
beleaguered residents of the expanding metropolis were confronted with recurring
problems — water scarcity, paucity of power, unending traffic snarls and the
deep-seated feeling of insecurity, generated by incidents of heinous crime.

Dyeing unit
owners fret and fume over relocation decisionPanipat, December 24A sort of tug-of-war has developed between
the government and the owners of dyeing units located in and around Panipat town
for one reason or the other towards compliance of government orders relating to
shifting of their units to newly developed industrial Sector 29-Part II.

National Consumer Day
observed with focus on the youngNew Delhi, December 24At the inaugural of the consumer clubs, it
was pointed out that large-scale consumer awareness, particularly among the
younger generation, is a must to ensure the product manufacturers do not dupe
the masses.

Unprecedented fog
disrupts normal lifeSonepat, December 24Normal life, business activity, road and
rail traffic remained disrupted for the seventh day today in this region on
account of dense fog and chilly weather conditions. According to a report, train
services on the Delhi-Ambala-Kalka (DUK) section of the Northern Railway
remained disrupted following the late running of the trains.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON
PANIPATCEA devises sketches to modernise old
unitsPanipat, December 24Under the Residual Life Assessment
programme, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has prepared a sketch to
modernise the four old units, numbering 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Tau Devi Lal Thermal
Power Corporation in Panipat, working since November 1979, March 1980, November
1985 and January 1987 respectively.

DELHI DIGESTThree-year RI for kidnapping teenagerNew Delhi, December 24A Delhi court today sentenced two persons
to rigorous imprisonment of three years for kidnapping a girl from near her
house in Prem Nagar about five years ago.

Police reshuffle

NCR BRIEFSOne killed, six injured as bus rams
maxi-cabJhajjar, December 24One person was killed and six other injured
seriously in a road accident involving a maxi-cab and a Haryana Roadways bus
near Dulhera village on the Jhajjar-Bahadurgarh road today.

Fake
driving licence racket busted, 3 heldNew Delhi, December 24With the arrest of three suspects, the
Crime Branch of the Delhi Police today claimed to have busted a gang involved in
making fake driving licences and permits. They operated from Sanjay Gandhi
Transport Nagar and forged driving licences and permits of different transport
authorities in the country.

Congo national
held with fake travellers chequesNew Delhi, December 24The Chanakyapuri Police arrested a Congo
national, identified as Alexis Lumande Mbe (40), on charge of cheating. The
accused was arrested by the police after receiving a call from the General
Manager, Central Bank of India, Ashoka Hotel, that the suspect was trying to
encash two fake travellers cheque worth US $ 1000.

Security guard
awarded

Auto lifters
arrested

Wheat racket
unearthedSonepat, December 24A racket of selling the wheat earmarked for
distribution under the Sampooran Gramin Rozgar Yojna in open market was
reportedly unearthed by the chairman of the block samiti, Kharkhoda.

School appointments sought in
keeping with
Punjabi’s new statusNew Delhi, December 24The Kendri Punjabi Sahit Sammelan (KPSS)
today requested the Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, to appoint the
language teachers at schools run by the Delhi Administration in compliance with
the new law according second language status to the Punjabi language in the
Capital.

CAMPUSThanks to internal assessment,
DU attendance up 90%It is a scenario, which is all too
new for the Delhi University. Instead of the usual dismal attendance figures
that one got to see at this time of the year, the university has been surprised
by figures that indicate a change.

Textile Minister Shahnawaz Hussain during the management festival
of Amity Business School, Noida.

Attachment of
Sonepat treasury account orderedSonepat, December 24The Additional Sessions Judge of Sonepat,
Ms Anita Chaudhary, has ordered the attachment of the account of Sonepat
treasury relating to the licensing fee with immediate effect.

Delhi down Himachal in
basketballNew Delhi, December 24Delhi downed Himachal Pradesh 78-35 in a
basketball match of the 49th National School Games, which began at the
Chhatrasal Stadium, Model Town, in the Capital on Wednesday.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit passing on the torch of the 49th National School Games, helped by Delhi Education Minister Arvinder Singh and Deputy Director of Education Satpal, at the Chhatrasal Stadium on Wednesday.

Solani sails to
easy victoryNew Delhi, December 24Solani Chopra disposed of Aanchal 11-3 in
the girls section of the third Indian Oil Badminton Talent Contest, organised by
the Delhi Badminton Association, at the Ludlo Castle court.

Cricket fiesta on
ESPN Star SportsNew Delhi, December 24ESPN Star Sports will show a fiesta of
cricket matches during the year end week, including what promises to be a
thriller of a third Test between India and Australia, live on ESPN and Star from
Friday.

Jyoti Randhawa
emerges highest-ranked playerNew Delhi, December 24Jyoti Randhawa, who achieved the unique
distinction of winning a title on his rookie year on the Japanese PGA Tour,
added another feather to his cap when he became the highest-ranked Indian
professional golfer ever in the history of the World Rankings, which is endorsed
by the six leading Tours of the world.

Bodybuilding
championshipNew Delhi, December 24Pradeep Kumar, Virender Singh Malhan, Sashi Kumar and Ravinder Kumar, from Satyawati College (Evening), won a gold medal in the Inter-University Bodybuilding Championship and helped Delhi University to retained the All India Inter-University Bodybuilding Championship concluded at Khalsa College.
OSR

The Delhi University team, which retained the All India Inter-University Bodybuilding
Championship at SGTB Khalsa College, Anandpur Sahib.

Malviya Club winNew Delhi, December 24Deadly bowling by off-spinner Puru Singh (4
for 29) and a delightful knock of 60, with six fours and two sixes, by Oniel
Wilson helped Malviya Club defeat South Delhi Club by seven wickets in the DDCA
Super A Division League at the Mohan Meakin ground.